What I need out of a module:

Monster name, how many of them there are, hit points, what treasure it has.

If all the fine details are in the Monster Manual, Fiend Folio or MMII I'm good.

I love monster books and am always happy to get more of them as long as they're imaginative.

I can make my own monsters or use classics, but I like making a whole out of random content, and having a ton of monsters allows for a ton of random content. I end up with something I would have never made up possibly even playing out in ways that neither I or the players would have anticipated.

Some people like to have lots of pre-made options for their games, some people don't. There's a reason there are dozens of different RPGs on the market. You can find a game that fits your needs, and play it. Or at least one that comes really close to what you want, and you can house rule it.

If you want one with lots of stuff like monsters, there are plenty of options. If you want less stuff of that sort, there are plenty of other games.

So, even though I'd rather make things of that sort up most of the time, I don't begrudge people who like having it all done and official. Play styles vary.

Quote from: monkeyfaceratboy;558980Some people like to have lots of pre-made options for their games, some people don't. There's a reason there are dozens of different RPGs on the market. You can find a game that fits your needs, and play it. Or at least one that comes really close to what you want, and you can house rule it.

If you want one with lots of stuff like monsters, there are plenty of options. If you want less stuff of that sort, there are plenty of other games.

So, even though I'd rather make things of that sort up most of the time, I don't begrudge people who like having it all done and official. Play styles vary.

Welcome to the RPGsite, monkeyfaceratboy, and there's a sentence I never thought I'd be saying.

Quote from: monkeyfaceratboy;558980Some people like to have lots of pre-made options for their games, some people don't. There's a reason there are dozens of different RPGs on the market. You can find a game that fits your needs, and play it. Or at least one that comes really close to what you want, and you can house rule it.

If you want one with lots of stuff like monsters, there are plenty of options. If you want less stuff of that sort, there are plenty of other games.

So, even though I'd rather make things of that sort up most of the time, I don't begrudge people who like having it all done and official. Play styles vary.

Is that avatar from Meet the Feebles?

I always thought the various Monster Manuals were cool to look at, but not particularly useful. I used to peruse them at the local library before they all got stolen.

But I also cut my teeth on Robotech, TMNT, and Twilight 2000 - didn't get into fantasy games until pretty recently.

I still like looking at them (my friends never really left the 1st/2nd edition era), but I'd rather make my own monsters and villains to suit my LotFP campaign.

I'm not going to fault anyone for using them though - I did use a flailsnail once.
Speaking of which, flailsnails are my all-time favorite monster from any game. And not because of what's going on on Google+. They're just so ridiculous, and the "pitiful wail," makes me tear up a little.

I like them, but I rarely make use of them. Does anyone really need anything from this hobby? Truthfully, I'm more baffled by the proliferation of adventure modules than monster books.

T-2

This:



is available as a pdf out there somewhere.  It has all you would ever need and more.

Quote from: Gib;558997I like them, but I rarely make use of them. Does anyone really need anything from this hobby? Truthfully, I'm more baffled by the proliferation of adventure modules than monster books.

T-2

I'd agree with that. A jumping off point adventure is swell for getting some campaigns going (or getting the right feel for a new game), after that, we're usually getting so personalized that it seems like a non-issue.

On the other hand, I like monster books. I especially like using monster books from different games as inspiration for The Game I'm Running. For instance, getting the idea to drop a "by the book" Iron Golem into a Marvel SAGA game (and never calling it an iron golem), while the PCs try to figure out the best way to take it down. (It wasn't completely random...it was serving a wizard from another dimension who was trying to get one of The Great Old Ones to chase him into the PCs' reality to threaten their world instead of his.)

Quote from: Teazia;559002This:



is available as a pdf out there somewhere.  It has all you would ever need and more.

I ordered the second Dark Sun appendix today. Remember kids, Noble Knight is great, but check Amazon first.

I'm less interested in the monster stats per se than I am in what the monsters tell me about the game/campaign.

I agree, monster books can be the best setting books.

Quote from: Teazia;559002This:



is available as a pdf out there somewhere.  It has all you would ever need and more.

The illustrations... Please... NOooOoooO!!!!1

Quote from: Planet Algol;559015The illustrations... Please... NOooOoooO!!!!1

The DS illos seem pretty cool, is there a problem with the set as a whole? BTW, can you get that stuff in a book or are you stuck with binders?

I like monster books because they give me ideas that I otherwise might not have thought of. Especially when you get specialized stuff like the Privateer Press Iron Kingdoms monster books.